Syria has accused Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi of "signing the death warrant" of a contact group trying to solve the nearly 18-month conflict by calling for regime change, official media reported on Friday.

"Syria looks positively on any initiative seeking to contain the crisis and permit a return to normal life," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad said in an interview on state television.

But Morsi's "latest comments signed the death warrant" of an Egyptian proposal for a regional contact group on Syria that would include Damascus's key ally Iran, as well as pro-rebel Saudi Arabia and Turkey, he said.

At a meeting in Cairo on Wednesday of Arab League ministers, Morsi said it was time for the Syrian regime to step down.

"The Syrian people have made their voice clear," he said, and, in a message to President Bashar al-Assad's regime, insisted: "You will not be around for long."

At a meeting in the Iranian capital late last month of the Non-Aligned Movement, Morsi also slammed the Damascus government as "oppressive" and urged support for the rebels fighting to oust the Assad regime.

Syrian government daily Tishrin on Friday took Morsi to task in an editorial.

"Morsi's partiality when it comes to terrorism, murder and destruction has condemned all efforts and initiatives in which Egypt might be involved," it said.

Damascus refers to rebels in the country as "terrorists." The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights puts the death toll at more than 26,000 since protests first erupted in the country nearly 18 months ago.

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John Bergamo

07-09-2012 07:22pm

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I want to please my masters

Morsi revealed his true identity by making those irresponsible statements regarding Syria. Morsi could have asked both sides to negotiate and help the opposing sides to stop fighting and seek a peaceful settlement to the Syrian problem. Unfortunately Morsi is another puppet of the western powers and a professional beggar that has to follow the dictates of the great "Democracies of the Middle East also known as Saudi Arabia and Qatar". Shame on you Mr. Morsi you proved that the Muslim Brotherhood is not an honest party that works for the benefit and emancipation of the Arab people.

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Ra'ed, Damascus

07-09-2012 06:47pm

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Alawite regime is irredeemably evil

Morsi is absolutely correct. There can be no business-as-usual with a regime that slaughters its own citizens e mass on the ground that they want freedom and democracy. The Syrian regime is more than fascist, it is conspicuously murderous, brashly nefarious and Satanic.

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Mona

07-09-2012 06:03pm

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Decadence

Qatar 18 billion is what't importat for Egypt. MONEY!
It's in human nature for earthly power that make you forget death. Qatar own.s Lebanon..almost half of Paris & London.
There will be no oil in 2030, so profit for now..
The lazy oil Emirates are so fat from sitting doing nothing, exept letting the money work for them.

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cham free

07-09-2012 03:38pm

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question to MR. Morsi

why they let Iranian ships to pass through canal ( Suez ) carrying weapons from Iran to the regime in Syria, why ?? how he support Syrian people and allow them to walk away with death weapons to the killers in Syria